Clarifying attachment for talking-machines.



W. J. BURCHETT. (f-LARUFYING ATTACHMENT FOB. TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1913,

1,084,570} Patented Jan.13 ,l 914.

(lllllllrl s ATEs PATENT oF IoE.

WALTER J. BUROHETT, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MEETS, TO THE RASTERPHONE CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CLhRIFYING ATTACHMENT FOR TALKING-MACHINES.

v Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May 12, 1913.Serial No. 767,159.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER J. Bunonn'rr, a citizenof the United States,residing at East Orange, county of Essex, and State of- New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Clarifying Attachmentsfor Talking-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clarifying "attachments for talking machines,and constitutes a further improvement on the general type of apparatusillustrated in the pending application of Mat-thew B. Claus sen, SerialNumber 779,004, renewed July My object is the provision of a simple,inexpensive and diirable attachment which can be quickly and easilapplied to or removed from the repr ucer of a talking machine,particularly one of the disk type,'

which will increase the volume of sound, clarify the tone, and enable aneedle of small diameter to be used in sound reproduction,

thereby increasing the life of the records,

735 and i accomplish these objects by substituting a less rigidconnection between the needle of the standard talking machinereproducer, and the thin, freely vibrating sound amplifying body or diskof the said Glaussen application than is employed in the specific formof construction illustrated in said Glaussen application, and supple-"menting the engagement between needle and disk by a second, elasticconnect-ion between other parts of the reproducer and the disk,

whereby the disk is held against the needle with sufficient firmness toabsorb the vibrations thereof when the reproducer is in operation, butmay yet be easily removed from 0 pontact with the needle, (when thelatter is to removed from the reproducer), without entirelydisconnecting the disk from the reproducer as a whole.

lin the accompanying drawings and following description, I have shown aform of the invention illustrating its mode of operation and whichcarries out the foregoing ob jects, but such disclosure is to beconsidered as illustrative, rather than restrictive, of the scope of theinvention and-the invention is susceptible of modification withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing theinvention applied to an ordinary talking machine reproducer and diskrecord; Fig. 2, a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail,partly in section, showing the. cotiperation of thedevice with theneedle; Fig. 4, a detail perspective of the attachment alone; Fig. 5, aview looking toward the lower face and Fig. 6,.detail plan views ofother shapes of thin freely vibrating sheet or disk that may be used.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 represents the turntable of the talkingmachine and 2 of the thinfreely vibrating sheet or disk; 1

a disk record of usual form and construction, 3 being the usual swingingarm having the neck 4 which is swiveled at 5. The reproducer, which isof the usual form, is

shown at 6.

The reproducer has a diaphragm 7, an arm 8, a rocker 9, a needle holder10 and a removable needle 11 held in the holder 10 by thumb-screw 12.

The foregoing parts are old and well known, operating in the usualmanner.

My clarifying attachment appears alone in Fig. {1: and applied to thereproducer 6 in Figs. 1 and 2, the mode of its cooperation with theneedle 11 appearing more clearly in Fig. 3, where the parts aregenerally exaggerated. c

' An arc-shaped yoke 13 of resilient material is of a size adapting itto be snapped onto the periphery of the reproducer 6, there beingprovided hook-shaped retainers 144 t which engage the knurled edge 6 ofthe reproducer, these retainers holding the yoke 13 in position and atthe sometime having oifset or angularly arranged ends 15.

The specific form of yoke above described is adapted to coiiperate withone standard justment to be obtained. The yok 13 has in form of soundbox. Slight variations in de- I tails would be desirable to enable it tocooperate conveniently with other standard forms of reproducen.

The thin, freely vibrating sheet of hard,

elastic material 16 may be in the form of a cular disk such as shown inFigs. 1 to 5,

or, it may assume different forms such as the winged or lobe-formconstructions shown, respectively, at 17, 18, 1!) and 20, Fig. (5.

A thin, freely vibrating sheet of hard, astic material of any formadapted to coland clarity all vibrations of sound 'cfinscd by theengagement of the needle with tlie ilisk record. will serve the purposeand I do not limit myself to a clarifying sheet or disk of anyparticular form. The sheet or disk may be of mica, celluloid, or otherrelatively thin hard, elastic and flexible material of the properconsistency. I do not limit myself to any particular material in theconstruction of this element of my improved combination.

The disk 16 carries, preferably substantially centrally thereof. a hub21 which is provided with an opening 22 which preferably tapers from itsupper end to at or about the point 21 and then tapers more abruptly towhere it opens out at 25 through the lower face of the hub. The lowertapered part 25 of the opening is of a size adapting it to fit againstthe tapered point 26 of the needle 11', the tip of the latter beingexposed and free to engage the grooves on the record disk 2. The. upperpart 22 of the opening being somewhat larger than the needle, permitsthe entire sheet or disk 16 to pivot, in a rocking manner, on the needleelv point 26 and the said disk may, therefore, tilt, pivot or rockwithin limits in all directions in relation to the needle 11. Thisconstruction permits the disk 16 to automatically and instantaneouslyaccommodate itself to all movements of the needle caused by theengagement of the latter with the record disk 2 and to maintain itsrelation to the face of the disk 2 which is, preferably, a parallelrelation thereto, as shown in Fig. 2, but may be other than parallel attimes. At

the same. time the hub 21, and disk 16, are

given a sufiiciently rigid connection to the needle through thewedgelike engagement of the tapered needle point with the tapered recess25, to insure the disk taking up all the vibrations of the needle point.The hub 21 may be connected to the disk 16 in different ways. I haveshown the hub as provided with a circular flange 27 between which andthe disk 16 is located an annulus or collar 28 having cars 29 aiid 30.The hub, annulus and disk may be cemented or otherwise secured together.Preferablfi the head snugly fits the opening in the disk, through whichit passes. Light coil springs 31 and 32 are engaged with the ears 29 and30 and with the en s 15 of yoke 13, said springs being under tension andconsequently, drawing the hub 21 against the point 26 of the needle sothat the disk 16 is always yieldingly maintained in a light yet firm,engagement. with the any direction within limits.

inseam The modified sheets or disks shown in Fig. 6, have a hubconstruction 21 and an annulus 28 and ears 29, 30, the same as shown anddescribed in connection with the disk 16.

\Vhcn in use. the attachment is bodily carried by the roproducer andmoves with it and the needle. The loosencss of engagement of theretainers 11 with the knurled rim (3 permits either a manual or anautomatic concentric sliding of the yoke 13, thus enabling the device tobe readily applied to the reproducer, adjusted thereon at any time or toautomatically adjust itself under the tension of the springs 31 and 32according to the operation of the reproducer and its needle. On raisingthe reproducer and its neck 4 1n the usual manner. disk 16 can beremoved from the needle 11 and a new needle substituted without havingto remove yoke 13 from the reproducer.

During the removal of a worn needle and the insertion of a new one, thedisk 16 is pulled up to one side of the stylus or needle holder by thesprings and does not interfere with the operation of changing needles.When the new needle is in position'the disk is pulled down into positionand the perforated hub is snapped into position over the point of theneedle. The springs wedge the hub tightly onto the tapering needle endand the whole structure, reproduccr and attachment, becomes a resonant,freely vibrating unit which takes up every vibration of the needle pointwhether horizontal or vertical, and whether body vibrations or molecularvibratio s.

Having thus described my inventiomwhat I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let; ters Patent. is

1. The combination with the reproducer ot a talking machine having theusual sound box and stylus, of a thin sheet of hard, elastic materialheld flexibly about the extreme point of the stylus.

2. The combination with the reproducer of a talking machine having astylus with a tapering point, of a. thin, freely vibrating disk providedwith a tapering perforation adapted to tit. onto the stylus point, andmeans for holding the two in engagement.

3. The combination with the reproducer of a talking machine having a.stylus with a tapering" point, of a. thin freely vibrating disk providedwith a. tapering perforation adapted to fit onto the stylus point,andelastic means for holding the two in engagement.

4. The combination with the rcproducer of slylus. of a thin freelyvibrating sheet of hard elastic material, and means for elasticallyholding the same. in removable en- I gum-merit with the stylus. needleand is free to rock on the point 526 in T fier disk having a resilientconnection therewith whereby said clarifier disk may yield or be movedfrom its normal position.

of a talking machine reproducer, of a clarifier 6L The combination withthe needle disk having a rocking engagement with said needle. v

7. Thecombination with the needle of a talking machine reproducer, of aclarifier disk having a rocking engagement with said needle and elasticmeans for maintaining said engagement.

8. The combination witlithe reproducer of a talking machine having theusual stylus of a clarifying disk having a rocking engagement with thestylus, and a spring connection'extending from the body of thereproducer to the disk near the point of engagement. Q

9. The combination with the re'producer of I a talking machineincludingthe usual needle,

of a clarifier disk movably engaged with said i needle, an attachingdevice for engaging the device.

'11. An attachment for talking machines comprising an attaching device,afreely vibrating 'clarifier disk separate from said attaching device,and connections between the said clarifier disk and the attachingdevice. I

12. An attachment for talking machines comprising in combination anattaching de vice, a freely vibrating clarifier disk, and

spring connections between said clarifier.

disk and said attaching device.

13. An attachment for talking machines,

comprisin a yoke, hook retainers thereon, a sheet of e ast1 0 materialserving as a clarifier having a needle hole, and springs con I thesaidsheet of elastic material to arts of the yoke.

nectin the en 14. T e combination vlth the reproducer needle of atalln'ng'machine, of a vibratory disk having an opening through whichsaid needle loosely passes.

15. The combination with the reproducer needle of a talking machine of avibratory disk having an enlarged tapered qpeping receiving the needleand oint thereof, said opening permitting the disk. to move inrela.-'tion to said. needle without detachment.

16. The combination withthe reproducer of a talking machine incladingtheusual needle, of a vibratory disk having an open 'ing through which theneedle passes and whose walls loosely engage the needle, and meansconnecting the. diskto the reproducer. 17. The combination with thereproducer of a talking machine'in'cluding the usual needle, of avibratory disk having an opening through which the needle passes-andwhose walls engage the needle, a detachable andslidable yoke claspingthe reproducer, and springs connecting the disk on opposite sides of theneedle to the end parts of the yoke.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

WALTER anunoflnrr Witnesses:

HALooLM "Ennis, .N HAN W. Prawns; Jr.

